Trae Santos, 25, enters his first year with Gateway in 2018. (Pronounced "SAHN-tos" — "SAHN" rhymes with "Ron.")

A powerful first baseman, Santos last played in 2016 as a member of the San Diego Padres organization — he split his 2016 season between the Class A-Advanced Lake Elsinore Storm (California League) and the Double-A San Antonio Missions (Texas League).

Santos was originally drafted by San Diego in the 17th round of the 2013 MLB Draft out of Troy University. He slashed .300/.382/.612 (.994 OPS) with 18 homers and 70 RBIs (in 62 games) in his lone year as a Trojan, playing in the competitive Sun Belt Conference. Santos began his collegiate career with two seasons at Northwest Florida State College.